Ham radio provides valuable public service
Locals continues tradition of amateur radio
St. Louis and Suburban Radio Club Vice President Steve Schmitz said amateur radio, sometimes called ham radio, involves using radio communications to communicate with other radio amateurs.
"Our club and most clubs of this type provide a meeting place for amateurs," Schmitz said. "We're also very involved in public service."Schmitz said amateur radio operators, including some who belong to the St. Louis and Suburban Radio Club, volunteer their time and talents to provide communication for the Multiple Sclerosis Bike Tour in September in Columbia, Mo. Operators provide support to the vehicles used in the bike tour. The organization of radio enthusiasts also have an agreement with Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis to provide communications support in the event of a disaster. Ham radio operators could communicate with the hospital on its needs and challenges.
While communications technology has changed a lot since the beginnings of the amateur radio in the early 20th century, the field of amateur radio still has its advantages.
"In a disaster, infrastructure can go down and cell phones can lose their power or connection," Schmitz said. "Amateur radio operators can operate independently, we don't need outside power to operate."
Amateur radio practitioners use an amateur radio station to broadcast to one another. Each unit has an antenna and transceivers, a transmitter which propagates the signal, and a receiver, an electronic circuit that receives its input from an antenna. Ham operators are not allowed to use their craft for professional purposes.
Schmitz took up ham radio 30 years ago when he was a student at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo. The president of the university conducted classes in the hobby.
Ham radio operators must obtain a license from the Federal Communications Commission. To obtain a license, one must pass an exam. Schmitz said there are three levels of licenses: technician for UHF (ultra-high frequency) and VHF (very high frequency), general class, general class for HF (high frequency) and extra class, for all bands and modes available to the amateur. Modes are methods of communication: voice, computer, Morse Code, digital and television. Each level of license has its own exam.
The St. Louis and Suburb Radio Club hosted an amateur radio field day on June 28-29 in St. Ann, Mo., at James S. McDonnell Park. Schmitz said the field day was a demonstration on emergency communications. He called it the "most anticipated event for amateurs." A long tradition, the club started hosting a field day on the last week of June in 1932.
Donn Hornberger, who grew up in Venice and currently resides in St. Louis, took up amateur radio in 1979 when he was walking through a JCPenney store in Springfield and wondered how voices were transmitted over speakers.
Ham radio operators have a code of conduct. Hornberger said in an interview this week that the FCC will fine or jail amateur radio operators who use foul language or interfere with another broadcasters signal.
"It's law, and you adhere to it because of what we do in emergencies," he said. "At times when there is not an emergency, and we're just practicing, we adhere to the principle of courtesy and correct operations."
Hornberger said ham radios proved to be valuable on Sept. 11, 2001, because the cell phone system, which can be overwhelmed with too many users, was impaired for two weeks after the attack. But operators can communicate not only nationally, but also internationally.
"You can transmit around the world on certain frequencies on a daily basis," he said. "To do that, you have to know the hobby. But that's the problem, it's very easy to punch buttons on a computer that most of the youth don't get the idea of studying and getting a license."
The longtime operator, who called ham radio operators a "technologically trained pool who are ready in a time of need" said the medium exists for two reasons - public service and diplomacy.
"We don't expect them to agree with us or disagree with us," Hornberger said when asked about communication with parties in other countries. "They can ask fundamental questions, like what type of radio you have and what you do for a living. I was talking a couple of nights ago whose responsibility in the South Korean government was to teach democracy. We talked for two hours. A lot of conversation happens like that."
Hornberger said amateur radio operators are "falling flat on our face in attracting youth." He said the media doesn't understand the complex nature of the art or report on it.
